The New Gaian Front

[Pel]

The three doctrines are:

1. The universality of the "Mother Beast"-- her tissue makes up all of Sirius (in ways we cannot comprehend). We dare not presume to hear Her voice. The Silence of Gaia frees us from moral hesitation. The Mother's health is all that matters. Action is everything (pure, ADHD, ricocheting, careening doctoring). Everything carved from the goddess flesh is a twisted substance and fair game for our crazed form of emergency medicine.

2. As a specialized immune system for Gaia Herself, our ranks and roles are more medical than military: Our Surgeons are our Strike pilots (tasked with the amputation of mining vessels), our Virologists are Infiltrators and spies (they analyze faction politics and House economies to find the most efficient vectors for infection of silly human infrastructure). Our Nurses are in charge of Reclamation and Logistics-- they staff our labs, engineer innovations and dispatch orderlies to clean up the messes Doctors inevitably leave behind.

3. We embrace the paradox of being part of the problem by focusing on scrap to build our laboratories and ships. We are analog and old-school which makes us both inefficient and endlessly innovative. We exalt Junkers as holy scavengers but will quickly turn on them if they violate our obscure principles. Our alliances are fickle (silly humans). Our only lasting allegiance is to Gaia.

So, taking up where I left off... the Three Doctrines, presented more as principles or a "modus operandi" (as it were):

1. The Silence of Gaia --> "Well, She never said we *couldn't* do that! Give it go!"

Belief follows action. Once you've disabled the turrets on three mining vessels and hightailed it through the nearest jump hole you figure it was a good idea. I mean, it was fun, wasn't it?

2. Playing Doctor --> "Just hold still-- don't worry, it won't hurt (me)!"

Futility begets hilarity. I mean, are we looking at a patient or a composting project? You run about trying to "accomplish things"-- it's an exhausting delusion. The decompression concussion and internal bleeding are the most honest things you've done all day! Lie down in the nearest nebula and let the radiation do the heavy lifting. You’ll be much more useful to the universe as a cloud of ionized gas than as a mediocre pilot.

3. We are the problem --> In so many delightful ways!

Admission to our clinic is free-- we are glad to diagnose you! Most patients are technically "alive" by the narrow and boring standards of society, however, from a Doctor's perspective they are a walking corpse that displays a worrying attachment to their skin. Have a spa day! No suit, no ship, just you and the vacuum. It's the ultimate detox.

---

New Gaian Front Links: Faction Info | Recruitment Channel | Reading Room | Feedback Thread

[Pel]

The Celestial Hippocratic Oath

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those Doctors in whose steps I follow, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who follow me.

I will apply, for the benefit of the Universe, all measures required of me, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug in the deterrence of the Parasite.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed to remedy what ails Gaia.

I will respect the Silence of Gaia, for her problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. They shall know in Her time.

Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. We risk all in the service of Gaia!

Above all, I must not presume to know Her thoughts. I, too, am a Parasite.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick Celestial Being, whose illness may affect the sector's structure and stability. My responsibility includes the related problems of shelter and sustenance, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a Parasite, not above my species, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter.

May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help (as well as those who do not).

---

New Gaian Front Links: Faction Info | Recruitment Channel | Reading Room | Feedback Thread